MelodicVirus

A family film that barely resembles its source material, Garfield is a bizarre fever dream that I sort of wish never happened. One thing I liked about this film was Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield, I think he was ultimately the best choice to play the fat cat. But he was given very little to work with in the final film, especially since the script is so poorly written. Everything else is a mixed bag, I was mostly indifferent on Garfield's CGI design but it makes little sense for other characters to have completely different appearances - particularly Nermal and Odie. It was odd to see Breckin Meyer and Jennifer Love-Hewitt play both Jon and Liz respectively. They obviously didn't really look into the characters all that much, as they are played as a romantic duo as opposed to the eccentric Jon being a foil for Liz's pessimistic nature. In spite of this, there is very little comedy between the two either. Much of the comedy is displayed through Garfield, which is generally hit or miss. I hated the whole "Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink." attitude whenever it came up, but I admired the slapstick / visual humor as it works quite well for young audiences. I can't really recommend this film for anyone above the age of 7, but it is a remarkably average film for a family viewing. Do with it as you will.

A farseeing conquest full of charm and peril, Highlander is a film that doesn't attempt to take itself too seriously - and for that reason works incredibly well as an homage to traditional fantasy / swashbuckler movies. The concept of a man who is immortal, and lives across the span of several time periods, is an interesting one. And I would've loved to have seen more of it, but much of the film takes place between 16th century Scotland and a contemporary New York setting. I especially enjoyed the scenes between Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery's characters. You can tell that both stars had a good connection with each other both on and off-stage. Much of the film's strong points can be found with scenes featuring these two. This film was not without flaws, and there's quite a few to mention. I personally found Christopher Lambert's attempt at a Scottish accent to be unconvincing, and the villain portrayed by Clancy Brown was almost cartoonish with no real incentive to commit bad deeds other than because he can. Despite these characters becoming spiritually old and wiser, their attitudes and personalities never seem to change all that much. Highlander also has a tendency to introduce certain characters and plot points only to never really focus on them all that much, presumably to pad out the runtime of this admittedly basic plotline. I'd reckon that this film would've been more successful if it was presented as a one-off miniseries as opposed to a full-feature film. Personally, I recommend this film to those who enjoy swashbuckler or adventure films. There's plenty here to enjoy, just don't lose your head!

A provocative action-packed feature with some grimy violence, the Foreigner has some intense action sequences and a talented cast to boot. But the story and writing falls short of making this a complete experience, and might not be for everyone. The action segments are well-directed, and also lead to some interesting set-pieces. Since the Foreigner was from the same mind that gave us Casino Royale, there's some stark similarities between the two that I personally enjoyed seeing. I found the reversed roles that both leads Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan act as to be very well done. Jackie Chan plays a more serious gritty veteran as opposed to his usual role as a sidekick or comedy star, whereas Pierce Brosnan sort of plays a foil / villain role to his usual routine of playing action stars such as James Bond. I felt the film could've focused on the dynamics between the two lead roles a bit more, as much of the film's runtime revolves around this conspiracy between the UK / Irish politics and the splinter group IRA that didn't peak my interest all that much. It's satisfyingly woven together, but don't expect it to be perfect. I would highly recommend this film to fans of the action genre, or even fans of the Martin Campbell-directed Bond films GoldenEye or Casino Royale. It may not be a masterpiece in terms of storytelling, but it's a fine watch irrespective of its flaws.

A thrilling adventure epic with some good father / son dynamics between Sean Connery and Harrison Ford. Outside of being known as James Bond, I personally believe this to be Sean Connery's greatest role outside of Bond -- and a high recommendation for anyone interested to view any of the films which depict the dangerous exploits of Indiana Jones. In terms of action, there are some great set pieces in this one including a boat chase through the canals of Venice and race to beat a tank much later in the film. Sound effects, especially punches and slaps, have never sounded as good as in this film; elevating the distinct brutal nature of this series further. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this film, I admittedly didn't like Indy's love interest in this one - she isn't as memorable as what we were given in previous entries. I also found her true motives to be confusing. This is a minor complaint regardless, and shouldn't distract from the great cinematic fun to be found within. In conclusion, a strong recommendation from me. Even if you're not into these sorts of epics, you'll be sure to find some levels of enjoyment out of the relationship between the two main leads. It's well-paced, witty, and doesn't take itself too seriously - which is what I believe Indiana Jones has always been about from the start.